Lettuce New Studio Album Elevate Due Out June 14th
Genre-defying funk-jazz-soul-hip-hop-
Produced by Lettuce and recorded at Colorado Sound Studio outside of Denver with legendary engineer Russ Elevado (D’Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu), Elevate marks the band’s first new original music in three years and is a dynamic showcase of their ever-changing and all-inclusive musical palette. The six-member collective – Grammy-nominated drummer and percussionist Adam Deitch, guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, Grammy Award-winning keyboardist and vocalist Nigel Hall, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Ryan Zoidis and Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Eric “Benny” Bloom – maintains its eclectic, free-wheeling approach while embracing a progressive and futuristic vibe, with elements of Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Eno and Miles Davis, thanks to their love of improvisational music and arts. Much of the warm, analog feel running throughout the album can be attributed to Zoidis’ new toy, a vintage Korg X-911 synth.
Lettuce explores its funk roots in the Tower of Power-like punch of “Ready to Live” (a cover of a song by Cold Blood’s Lydia Pense), the Prince-like swagger of “Royal Highness” and the OG blues-soul of “Love Is Too Strong,” which sees a vocal cameo from Marcus King. Expanded trip-hop sounds create a space age audio-scape on tracks like “Trapezoid,” “Gang 10” and “Purple Cabbage.” Their take on the Tears For Fears hit “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” features Hall on vocals, and Smirnoff nods to Carlos Santana and Trey Anastasio on the Latin-flavored and playfully named “Shmink Dabby.” Full track listing is below.
Get to know the members of Lettuce with behind-the-scenes vignettes filmed during the recording process of Elevate. The six-part series called “The Krewe – A Lettuce Documentary Series” will debut next week via the band’s Youtube page with an in-depth interview with bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes; PRESS HEREto watch the trailer.
A powerhouse collective made up of world-class master musicians, Lettuce are known for their incendiary live shows, extensive touring, die-hard fans, and massive two-decade-plus career. They are also some of the most highly sought-after musicians in the industry with roots that run deep into the worlds of hip-hop, pop, and beyond working and performing alongside the likes of Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Justin Timberlake, The Fugees, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, DJ Quik, Gary Clark Jr., Skrillex, The Game, Talib Kweli, Anthony Hamilton, Solange, Chaka Khan, Redman & Method Man, Robin Thicke, Preservation Hall, Dave Matthews Band, Gov’t Mule, Bob Weir, John Mayer, Aaron Neville, and more.
It’s been more than 25 years since the formation of Lettuce, a democratic ensemble in which there is no leader, but a complete unit that functions as a single entity with plenty of moving parts. The magic continues to grow with the band’s new album, Elevate.
ELEVATE TRACK LISTING
1. Trapezoid
2. Royal Highness
3. Krewe
4. Shmink Dabby
5. Everybody Wants to Rule The World
6. Gang Ten
7. Ready To Live
8. Larimar
9. Love Is Too Strong
10. Purple Cabbage
11. Trapezoid Dub
LETTUCE MIDWEST TOUR DATES:
June 15
August 9 Fort Collins, CO @ Bohemian Nights at New West Fest
August 11 Telluride, CO @ Telluride Jazz Festival
November 7 Kansas City, MO @ Truman
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